The present invention relates to an apparatus for measuring the performance of an accelerator pedal of an apparatus for automotive vehicle.
The accelerator pedal is a main control used by the operator of a motor vehicle. Because of the frequent use of the accelerator pedal, performance of the accelerator pedal significantly influences the operator's perception of vehicle performance. Quantifying accelerator pedal performance and translating the measured performance into engineering data factors is useful information to consider in the design process.
Some important characteristics of accelerator performance are pedal scrub, the angle the foot engages the accelerator pedal and the force for operating the pedal. Pedal scrub is the amount the foot moves with respect to the surface of the accelerator pedal while depressing the accelerator pedal. The accelerator pedal typically moves in an arc centered above the accelerator pedal above the lower portion of the instrument panel. The heel of the foot, on the other hand, moves in an arc centered around a point on the floor. A disparity arises between the two arcs when the pedal is depressed. Pedal scrub is the disparity measured as a linear distance between the arcs. A driver typically compensates for pedal scrub by moving the foot to maintain a constant position on the accelerator pedal. No movement of the foot is optimal in terms of customer perception. However, since eliminating pedal scrub is nearly impossible to achieve, the preference is to minimize pedal scrub.
Because performance characteristics of the accelerator pedal are important, providing an apparatus to accurately test accelerator pedal performance is crucial. In previously known measurement techniques several measurement devices were used to obtain data in a piecemeal manner. One problem with such data is that the measurements are not related to each other or to the position of a driver in the driver's seat. Consequently, the data obtained in such a manner was typically not repeatable.